Organic Lion's Mane Mushroom Plug Spawn

Hericium erinaceus

The Lion's Manes (Hericium Erinaceus, Hedgehog Hydnum, White Pom Poms, Lion's Mane or yamabushiitake) offer unique flavors reminiscent of seafood and coconut, with a texture close to meat. They are easily consumed in slices and can be pan-fried like most other mushrooms.

These mushrooms, relatives of the hedgehog mushrooms, produce hydnes (small white spines) when they reach maturity. We harvest them before the hydnes exceed 5 mm to preserve their taste qualities and extend their shelf life.

Lion's mane mushrooms on logs take about 12 to 18 months to fully colonize the log. After that, they will produce large mushrooms for several years.

For more information, we recommend reading our guide: "Log Cultivation"

How to inoculate logs with mycelium on wooden dowels?

Necessary equipment

• Log or recently cut wood block (max 3 months). Avoid softwoods. Most hardwoods are suitable. Contact us if you want more specific information. Diameter of the log: between 10 and 25 cm. Length: between 50 and 150 cm.
• Mycelium on dowels: For a length of 1 m, multiply the diameter of a log by 2.5. Example: a log 1 m long and 20 cm wide requires 20 x 2.5 = 50 dowels.
• Drill and bit of 8-9 mm
• Hammer
• Optional: vegetable wax, beeswax, paraffin, or green clay to cover the holes.

Instructions

• Wash your hands before touching the mycelium to maximize the chances of success.
• Make the holes in your log. The holes should be slightly deeper than the height of the dowel. Space the holes about 10 cm apart. A 1 m long log requires about 50 dowels.
• Insert the anchors into the holes using a hammer. The anchors should not protrude from the hole.
• Cover with wax. Wax is used to protect the mycelium from insects and diseases as well as from drying out. Alternatively, you can also use paraffin, cheese wax, or green clay.

• Wait: Place your logs in a shaded area, sheltered from the wind. Avoid direct contact with the ground, which could attract small insects and contamination. You can, for example, place them on a pallet covered with a tarp. In case of heat, occasionally pour a watering can of water over the logs to prevent them from drying out.
• Harvest and enjoy your production. A log made under good conditions can produce mushrooms for 3 to 5 years.

Wood species

We recommend beech, poplar, and maple woods, but the hedgehog fungus will grow on most hardwood species. It also seems to give good results on walnut, whereas few mushroom varieties yield good results on this species. Oak woods can also be used.

Remarks

The optimal periods to inoculate the logs are autumn, winter, and early spring, before the sap rises.

The main enemy of this culture is drought: cover the wood with a tarp or a veil if necessary to maintain the moisture of the logs, especially during incubation.

We prepare our bags by weight, so there may be slight variations compared to the indicated number.

We inoculate the dowels with a mixture of grain spawn and wood shavings. It is therefore normal to have some sawdust mixed with the dowels. This remaining sawdust can also serve as inoculum.

Our commitment to quality:

We produce our mycelia under laboratory conditions, which ensures the purity of the varieties and optimal quality.

We produce our myceliums in a 100% organic way and all our products are certified "BE-BIO-01, Agriculture Belgium" by CERTISYS.